The discussion of any work, publications, sales, or activity anywhere in this submission, including in any documents submitted with this application, shall not be taken as an admission that any such work constitutes prior art. The discussion of any activity, work, or publication herein is not an admission that such activity, work, or publication existed or was known in any particular jurisdiction.
Schemes to fraudulently obtain money or credits from casinos or gaming houses by manipulating playing cards and/or credit devices, such as chips, are known. In one such scheme, a blackjack dealer may arrange with a co-conspirator to allow the co-conspirator to “win” large amounts from the house. Individual players have also devised unlawful schemes enabling them to “win” at various gaming tables including blackjack and craps. Still other schemes involve the theft or misuse or counterfeiting of playing cards. Manipulation and counterfeiting of gaming cards and/or gaming chips are one type of fraud that casinos must monitor. (The term “chip” as used herein shall be understood to encompass any type of gaming or casino-accepted currency, such as gaming chips, plaques, or jetons.) As a consequence of various schemes to manipulate playing cards and/or game results, casinos expend considerable time and effort in manually observing players, game operators, and other casino employees in an effort to make certain that all of the games are fairly played and that card holding, card passing or the use of unauthorized or counterfeit cards is kept to a minimum. Such matters as the amount of a player's buy-in, the time played, the average bet of the player, and a player's win-loss record are often tracked. Such techniques are labor intensive and only partially effective.
Radio Frequency Transponders in Gaming Chips
It is known to embed a radio frequency transponder in a gaming chip, and one such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,502 to Rendleman et al. It is also known to track the flow and history of gaming chips through a casino. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,735,742 and 5,651,548 to John French describe aspects of a system to monitor and record all gaming chip transactions in a casino using gaming chips with embedded transponders or RFID devices. This system is directed to reducing theft and fraud on the casino floor, while also reducing the need for large numbers of pit employees to manually monitor activities at the various gaming tables. In some implementations, a gaming chip, and/or jetons and or plaques have a body and a transponder carried within the body. The transponder is encoded with permanent read-only identification information and further includes a data bank for receiving and maintaining changeable information transmitted thereto from an RF antenna. The changeable information may include a voidable casino security code, so that a chip may easily be voided if fraud is suspected, as well as a transactional history of the chip within the casino.
Many different RFID technologies exist and continue to be developed. One or more of these technologies can be employed according to specific embodiments of the invention based on various design parameters. It would be understood to on of skill in the RFID art how to select and implement RFID components for use in a system according to specific embodiments of the invention. Some information regarding design and implementation of various RFID systems can be found at http(://)transpondernews(.)com and its linked web pages, as well as the references supplied below.
A number of methods are known for incorporating RF transponders in a flat object such as a product label. For example, the following United States Patent references discuss various RFID technologies, including, surface-printable RFID-transponders; flat-silicon RFID transponders; and RFID transponders that have read/write/erase capability. These references are provided as examples of technology that can be used to implement various aspects of the present invention and are intended not to be limiting.
RFID Examples
DocumentDocument TitleU.S. Pat. No. 7,224,280RFID device and method of formingU.S. Pat. No. 7,212,127RFID tag and labelU.S. Pat. No. 7,199,456Injection molded product and a method for its manufactureU.S. Pat. No. 7,187,293Singulation of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for testing and/or programmingU.S. Pat. No. 7,172,130Electronic device, rubber product, and methods for manufacturing the sameU.S. Pat. No. 7,158,033RFID device with combined reactive couplerU.S. Pat. No. 7,152,803Smart label web and a method for its manufactureU.S. Pat. No. 7,154,283Method of determining performance of RFID devicesU.S. Pat. No. 7,151,979System and method for tracking inventoryU.S. Pat. No. 7,135,979In-mold radio frequency identification device labelU.S. Pat. No. 7,137,000Method and apparatus for article authenticationU.S. Pat. No. 7,117,581Method for high volume assembly of radio frequency identification tagsU.S. Pat. No. 7,109,867RFID tags with EAS deactivation abilityU.S. Pat. No. 7,102,520RFID device and method of formingU.S. Pat. No. 7,071,826Method and devices with a circuit for carrying information on a hostU.S. Pat. No. 7,066,393Smart label and a smart label webU.S. Pat. No. 7,069,110System and method for tracking inventoryU.S. Pat. No. 7,059,518RFID device detection system and methodU.S. Pat. No. 7,061,382Apparatus for electronically verifying the authenticity of contents within acontainerU.S. Pat. No. 7,055,753RFID device tester and methodU.S. Pat. No. 7,055,756Deposition fabrication using inkjet technologyU.S. Pat. No. 7,057,562RFID device with patterned antenna, and method of makingU.S. Pat. No. 7,023,347Method and system for forming a die frame and for transferring dies therewithU.S. Pat. No. 7,017,799Spindle sleeve with transponderU.S. Pat. No. 6,986,826Durable supports for labeling and relabeling objectsU.S. Pat. No. 6,957,777Label to be attached on a plastic product formed in a mold and identifiable by a detectingdeviceU.S. Pat. No. 6,951,596RFID label techniqueU.S. Pat. No. 6,206,292Surface-printable RFID-transponders;Automated Gaming Background
A very large number of patents and other publications relate to automating various aspects of gaming. Among these are those provided below:
U.S. Patent Application 20030064774 (Fujimoto)
U.S. Patent Application 20050062227 (Grauzer)
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,585,586; 6,582,302; and 6,293,864 (ROMERO)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,959 (PFEIFFER)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,039 (MILLER)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,546 (MEISSNER)
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,334; 6,093,103 and 6,117,012 (McCREA)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,908 (STARDUST)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,447 (LOFINK)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,819 (GARCZYNSKI)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,505 (GARCZYNSKI)
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,582,301; 6,039,650; and 5,722,893 (HILL)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,166 (LORSON)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,769 (ORDER)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,536 (HILL)—
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,848 (SOLTYS)—MindPlay LLC
There are numerous other MindPlay LLC, including at this time U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,712,696; 6,688,979; 6,685,568; 6,663,490; 6,652,379; 6,638,161; 6,595,857; 6,579,181; 6,579,180; 6,533,662; 6,533,276; 106,530,837; 6,530,836; 6,527,271; 6,520,857; 6,517,436; and 6,517,435.WO 00/51076 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,894 (DOLPHIN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES PTY. LTD.)
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blackjack tableAugust 1991Miller5,053,612Barcode badge and ticket reader employing beam splittingOctober 1991Pielemeier et al.5,110,134Card mark sensor and methods for blackjackMay 1992Laughlin et al.5,114,153Mechanical card dispenser and method of playing a cardMay 1992Rosenwinkel etgameal.5,121,921Card dealing and sorting apparatus and methodJune 1992Friedman et al.5,154,419Game board storage and retrieval systemOctober 1992Madhavan5,186,464Card dealing caseFebruary 1993Lamle5,199,710Method and apparatus for supplying playing cards atApril 1993Lamlerandom to the casino table5,224,712Card mark sensor and methods for blackjackJuly 1993Laughlin et al.5,240,140Card dispenserAugust 1993Huen5,259,907Method of making coded playing cards having machine-November 1993Soules et al.readable coding5,283,422Information transfer and use, particularly with respect toFebruary 1994Storch et al.counterfeit detection5,312,104Card reader for blackjack tableMay 1994Miller5,319,181Method and apparatus for decoding two-dimensional barJune 1994Shellhammer et al.code using CCD/CMD camera5,343,028Method and apparatus for detecting and decoding bar codeAugust 1994Figarella et al.symbols using two-dimensional digital pixel images5,362,053Card reader for blackjack tableNovember 1994Miller5,374,061Card dispensing shoe having a counting device and methodDecember 1994Albrechtof using the same5,397,133System for playing card games remotelyMarch 1995Penzias5,416,308Transaction document readerMay 1995Hood et al.5,431,399Card shuffling and dealing apparatusJuly 1995Kelley5,511,784Method and apparatus for directly generating a randomApril 1996Furry et al.final outcome of a game5,518,249Cards and methods for playing blackjackMay 1996Sines et al.5,548,110Optical error-detecting, error-correcting and other codingAugust 1996Storch et al.and processing, particularly for bar codes, and applicationstherefor such as counterfeit detection5,586,936Automated gaming table tracking system and methodDecember 1996Bennett et al.therefor5,605,334Secure multi-site progressive jackpot system for live cardFebruary 1997McCrea, Jr.games5,613,680Game card and system of authorizing game cardMarch 1997Groves et al.5,613,912Bet tracking system for gaming tablesMarch 1997Slater5,632,483Blackjack scanner apparatus and methodMay 1997Garczynski et al.5,654,050Laminated playing cardAugust 1997Whalen-Shaw5,655,961Method for operating networked gaming devicesAugust 1997Acres et al.5,669,816Blackjack scanner apparatus and methodSeptember 1997Garczynski et al.5,681,039Card reader for blackjack tableOctober 1997Miller5,698,839Magnetically encodable card having magnetic pigmentDecember 1997Jagielinski et al.uniformly dispersed in plastic5,707,287Jackpot system for live card games based upon game playJanuary 1998McCrea, Jr.wagering and method therefore5,711,525Method of playing a wagering game with built inJanuary 1998Breedingprobabilty variations5,722,893Card dispensing shoe with scannerMarch 1998Hill et al.5,735,525Secure multi-site progressive jackpot system for live cardApril 1998McCrea, Jr.games5,735,742Gaming table tracking system and methodApril 1998French5,755,618Apparatus for storing coins or coin-like articlesMay 1998Mothwurf5,757,876Object counter and identification systemMay 1998Dam et al.5,766,074Device and method for displaying a final gaming resultJune 1998Cannon et al.5,770,533Open architecture casino operating systemJune 1998Franchi5,772,505Dual card scanner apparatus and methodJune 1998Garczynski et al.5,779,545Central random number generation for gaming systemJuly 1998Berg et al.5,779,546Automated gaming system and method of automatedJuly 1998Meissner et al.gaming5,780,831One-dimensional and two-dimensional data symbol readerJuly 1998Seo et al.5,781,647Gambling chip recognition systemJuly 1998Fishbine et al.5,785,321Roulette registration systemJuly 1998van Putten et al.5,788,573Electronic game method and apparatus with hierarchy ofAugust 1998Baerlocher et al.simulated wheels5,791,988Computer gaming device with playing piecesAugust 1998Nomi5,801,766Security system for use at a roulette tableSeptember 1998Alden5,803,808Card game hand counter/decision counter deviceSeptember 1998Strisower5,803,809Method of playing a multi-decked poker type gameSeptember 1998Yoseloff5,809,482System for the tracking and management of transactions inSeptember 1998Strisowera pit area of a gaming establishment5,830,064Apparatus and method for distinguishing events whichNovember 1998Bradish et al.collectively exceed chance expectations and therebycontrolling an output5,842,921System and method for wagering at fixed handicaps and/orDecember 1998Mindes et al.odds on a sports event5,863,249Control method and device for stopping a reelJanuary 1999Inoue5,871,400Random number generator for electronic applicationsFebruary 1999Yfantis5,895,048Combination cards for learning and practicing blackjackApril 1999Smith, Jr.and blackjack strategy systems5,909,876Game machine wager sensorJune 1999Brown5,911,419Method and apparatus for playing bettor's choice drawJune 1999Delaney et al.poker5,911,626Jackpot system for live card games based upon game playJune 1999McCrea, Jr.wagering and method therefore5,919,090Apparatus and method for data gathering in games ofJuly 1999Mothwurfchance5,919,091Combined cashless/cash gaming machineJuly 1999Bell et al.5,941,769Gaming equipment for professional use of table gamesAugust 1999Orderwith playing cards and gaming chips, in particular for thegame of “black jack”5,945,654Card reader with dual-headed card slotAugust 1999Huang5,954,654Steering mechanism and steering line for a catheter-September 1999Eaton et al.mounted ultrasonic transducer5,967,893Method for tabulating payout values for games of chanceOctober 1999Lawrence et al.5,989,122Apparatus and process for verifying, sorting, andNovember 1999Roblejorandomizing sets of playing cards and process for playingcard games6,010,404Method and apparatus for using a player input code toJanuary 2000Walker et al.affect a gambling outcome6,039,650Card dispensing shoe with scanner apparatus, system andMarch 2000Hillmethod therefor6,042,150Playing cards security systemMarch 2000Daley6,062,981Gaming system with zero-volatility holdMay 2000Luciano, Jr.6,068,552Gaming device and method of operation thereofMay 2000Walker et al.6,093,103Secure multi-site progressive jackpot system for live cardJuly 2000McCrea, Jr.games6,117,009Method and apparatus for configuring a video outputSeptember 2000Yoseloffgaming device6,117,012Jackpot system for live card games based upon game playSeptember 2000McCrea, Jr.wagering and method6,126,166Card-recognition and gaming-control deviceOctober 2000Lorson et al.6,145,838Luminescent playing cardsNovember 2000White6,149,154Device and method for forming hands of randomlyNovember 2000Grauzer et al.arranged cards6,152,822Wagering system and method of wageringNovember 2000Herbert6,159,096Method and apparatus for configuring a slot-type wageringDecember 2000Yoseloffgame6,165,069Automated system for playing live casino table gamesDecember 2000Sines et al.having tabletop changeable playing card displays andmonitoring security features6,166,763Video security systemDecember 2000Rhodes et al.6,186,892Bingo game for use on the interactive communicationFebruary 2001Frank et al.network which relies upon probabilities for winning6,193,607Random number generator for electronic applicationsFebruary 2001Kay6,196,547Play strategy for a computer opponent in a electronic cardMarch 2001Pascal et al.game6,217,447Method and system for generating displays in relation toApril 2001Lofink et al.the play of baccarat6,234,898Method and apparatus for controlling a gaming operationMay 2001Belamant et al.6,250,632Automatic card sorterJune 2001Albrecht6,254,096Device and method for continuously shuffling cardsJuly 2001Grauzer et al.6,254,484Secure multi-site progressive jackpot system for live cardJuly 2001McCrea, Jr.games6,267,248Collating and sorting apparatusJuly 2001Johnson et al.6,267,671Game table player comp rating system and method thereforJuly 2001Hogan6,293,864Method and assembly for playing a variation of the gameSeptember 2001Romeroof baccarat6,299,536Card dispensing shoe with scanner apparatus, system andOctober 2001Hillmethod therefor6,312,334Method of playing a multi-stage video wagering gameNovember 2001Yoseloff6,313,871Apparatus and method for monitoring gambling chipsNovember 2001Schubert6,315,664Gaming device having an indicator selection withNovember 2001Baerlocher et al.probability-based outcome6,346,044Jackpot system for live card games based upon game playFebruary 2002McCrea, Jr.wagering and method therefore6,357,746Gaming chip with built-in timerMarch 2002Sadowski6,361,044Card dealer for a table gameMarch 2002Block et al.6,371,482Method and apparatus for generating numbers to play in aApril 2002Hall, Jr.lottery based on astronomical events6,394,902Gaming device having different sets of primary andMay 2002Glavich et al.secondary reel symbols6,402,142Method for handling of cards in a dealer shoe, and a dealerJune 2002Warren et al.shoe6,403,908Automated method and apparatus for playing cardJune 2002Stardust et al.sequencing, with optional defect detection6,406,369Gaming device having a competition bonus schemeJune 2002Baerlocher et al.6,409,595Lighted keypad assembly and method for a player trackingJune 2002Uihlein et al.system6,413,162Gaming device having independent reel columnsJuly 2002Baerlocher et al.6,425,824Gaming device having a bonus round with a win, lose orJuly 2002Baerlocher et al.draw outcome6,446,864System and method for managing gaming tables in aSeptember 2002Kim et al.gaming facility6,457,715Methods for playing wagering gamesOctober 2002Friedman6,460,848Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingOctober 2002Soltys et al.6,464,581Video gaming symbols provided on a continuous virtualOctober 2002Yoseloff et al.reel6,468,156Maximum bonus pay schedule method and apparatus for aOctober 2002Hughs-Baird et al.gaming machine6,471,208Method of playing a game, apparatus for playing a gameOctober 2002Yoseloff et al.and game with multiplier bonus feature6,502,116Random number generator seeding method and apparatusDecember 2002Kelly et al.6,508,709Virtual distributed multimedia gaming method and systemJanuary 2003Karmarkarbased on actual regulated casino games6,514,140System for machine reading and processing informationFebruary 2003Storchfrom gaming chips6,517,435Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingFebruary 2003Soltys et al.6,517,436Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingFebruary 2003Soltys et al.6,517,437Casino gaming apparatus with multiple displayFebruary 2003Wells et al.6,520,857Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingFebruary 2003Soltys et al.6,527,271Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2003Soltys et al.6,530,836Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2003Soltys et al.6,530,837Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2003Soltys et al.6,533,276Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch2003Soltys et al.6,533,662Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2003Soltys et al.6,533,664Gaming system with individualized centrally generatedMarch 2003Crumbyrandom number generator seeds6,543,770Card inverting device, card game machine, and cardApril 2003Kaji et al.inverting method6,561,897Casino poker game table that implements play of a casinoMay 2003Bourbour et al.table poker game6,568,678Method and apparatus for automatically cutting andMay 2003Breeding et al.shuffling playing cards6,579,180Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingJune 2003Soltys et al.6,579,181Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingJune 2003Soltys et al.6,582,301System including card game dispensing shoe with barrierJune 2003Hilland scanner, and enhanced card gaming table, enablingwaging by remote bettors6,588,750Device and method for forming hands of randomlyJuly 2003Grauzer et al.arranged decks of cards6,588,751Device and method for continuously shuffling andJuly 2003Grauzer et al.monitoring cards6,595,857Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingJuly 2003Soltys et al.6,599,185Gaming device having a multiple selection and awardJuly 2003Kaminkow et al.distribution bonus scheme6,629,889Apparatus and method for data gathering in games ofOctober 2003Mothwurfchance6,638,161Method, apparatus and article for verifying card games,October 2003Soltys et al.such as playing card distribution6,651,981Card shuffling apparatus with integral card deliveryNovember 2003Grauzer et al.6,651,982Card shuffling apparatus with integral card deliveryNovember 2003Grauzer et al.6,651,985Automated system for playing live casino table gamesNovember 2003Sines et al.having tabletop changeable playing card displays and playmonitoring security features6,652,379Method, apparatus and article for verifying card games,November 2003Soltys et al.such as blackjack6,655,684Device and method for forming and delivering hands fromDecember 2003Grauzer et al.randomly arranged decks of playing cards6,663,490Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingDecember 2003Soltys et al.6,676,127Collating and sorting apparatusJanuary 2004Johnson et al.6,676,516Gaming device having an indicator selection withJanuary 2004Baerlocher et al.probability-based outcome6,685,568Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,February 2004Soltys et al.such as blackjack6,688,979Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingFebruary 2004Soltys et al.6,698,759Player banked three card poker and associated gamesMarch 2004Webb et al.6,712,693Method and apparatus for player selection of an electronicMarch 2004Hettingergame payout6,712,696Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2004Soltys et al.6,722,974Automated system for playing live casino table gamesApril 2004Sines et al.having tabletop changeable playing card displays and playmonitoring security features6,728,740Random number generator seeding method and apparatusApril 2004Kelly et al.6,729,956Gaming apparatus with player tracking capabilitiesMay 2004Wolf et al.6,729,961Method for displaying an interactive game having a pre-May 2004Millerschonedetermined outcome6,758,751Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingJuly 2004Soltys et al.6,889,979Card shufflerMay 2005Blaha et al.6,955,599Casino poker game table that implements play of a casinoOctober 2005Bourbour et al.table poker game6,964,612Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,November 2005Soltys et al.such as blackjack6,991,544Method, apparatus and article for hierarchical wageringJanuary 2006Soltys et al.7,011,309Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gamingMarch 2006Soltys et al.7,029,009Playing card dealing shoe with automated internal cardApril 2006Grauzer et al.feeding and card reading7,065,513Simulation enabled feedback systemJune 2006Bertrand et al.7,073,791Hand forming shuffler with on demand hand deliveryJuly 2006Grauzer et al.2002/0,063,389Card shuffler with sequential card feeding module andMay 2002Breeding et al.method of delivering groups of cards2002/0,068,635System including card game dispensing shoe with barrierJune 2002Hilland scanner, and enhanced card gaming table, enablingwaging by remote bettors2002/0,086,727Method, apparatus and article for verifying card games,July 2002Soltys et al.such as blackjack2002/0,147,042System and method for detecting the result of a game ofOctober 2002Vuong et al.chance2002/0,163,125Device and method for continuously shuffling andNovember 2002Grauzer et al.monitoring cards for specialty games2002/0,165,029Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,November 2002Soltys et al.such as blackjack2002/0,187,821Method, apparatus and article for random sequenceDecember 2002Soltys et al.generation and playing card distribution2003/0,032,474Flexible loyalty points programsFebruary 2003Kaminkow2003/0,036,425Flexible loyalty points programsFebruary 2003Kaminkow et al.2003/0,042,673Device and method for forming and delivering hands fromMarch 2003Grauzer et al.randomly arranged decks of playing cards2003/0,054,878Point of play registration on a gaming machineMarch 2003Benoy et al.2003/0,073,498Card shuffling apparatus with automatic card sizeApril 2003Grauzer et al.calibration2003/0,083,126Gaming machine with electronic tax form filing functionMay 2003Paulsen2003/0,104,856Method for representing a game as a unique numberJune 2003Wolf2003/0,173,737Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,September 2003Soltys et al.such as blackjack2003/0,176,209Method, apparatus and article employing multipleSeptember 2003Soltys et al.machine-readable indicia on playing cards2004/0,067,789Card shuffler with card rank and value reading capabilityApril 2004Grauzer et al.2004/0,100,026BLACKJACK PLAYING CARD SYSTEMMay 2004Haggard2004/0,108,255Shuffling apparatus and methodJune 2004Johnson et al.2004/0,147,327Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,July 2004Soltys et al.such as blackjack2004/0,207,156Wireless monitoring of playing cards and/or wagers inOctober 2004Soltys et al.gaming2004/0,224,777Card shuffler with reading capability integrated intoNovember 2004Smith et al.multiplayer automated gaming table2005/0,012,270Intelligent baccarat shoeJanuary 2005Schubert et al.2005/0,026,680System, apparatus and method for automatically tracking aFebruary 2005Guruajantable game2005/0,026,681Smart discard rack for playing cardsFebruary 2005Grauzer et al.2005/0,026,682Smart table card hand identification method and apparatusFebruary 2005Grauzer et al.2005/0,051,955Intelligent baccarat shoeMarch 2005Schubert et al.2005/0,051,965Apparatus and method for a card dispensing systemMarch 2005Gururajan2005/0,054,408Smart casino live card playing system and methodMarch 2005Steil et al.2005/0,062,226Modular dealing shoe for casino table card gamesMarch 2005Schubert et al.2005/0,062,227Intelligent Baccarat shoeMarch 2005Grauzer et al.2005/0,073,102Interactive simulated baccarat side bet apparatus andApril 2005Yoseloff et al.method2005/0,101,367Method, apparatus and article for evaluating card games,May 2005Soltys et al.such as blackjack2005/0,121,852Method, apparatus and article for determining an initialJune 2005Soltys et al.hand in a playing card game, such as blackjack or baccarat2005/0,137,005Systems, methods, and devices for monitoring card games,June 2005Soltys et al.such as Baccarat2005/0,288,083Distributed intelligent data collection system for casinoDecember 2005Downs, IIItable games2005/0,288,084Casino table gaming system with round counting systemDecember 2005Schubert2006/0,001,217Playing cards with separable componentsJanuary 2006Soltys et al.Foreign References:
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